Do amateur models need makeup under studio lights for a green-screen video shoot?

Question

I’m filming an amateur stop-motion video in front of a green screen under studio lighting. We don’t have budget for a professional makeup artist, and most subjects will be volunteers. There probably won’t be many close-ups, and final video resolution will be fairly low.

For a shoot like this, how important is makeup under studio lights? Can some of the men get by with little or none, or will lighting make everyone look washed out? Also, are there any simple, practical tips for volunteers applying their own makeup so it looks natural on camera?

user1546 · Accepted Answer

I don't have any experience of this, but I do have experience of amateur theatre. Stage lighting is much less bright than photographic lighting, but even it tends to make people look washed out. It's almost universal that a stage actor will need to apply makeup - even the men!

Theatre audiences are much further away from the actors than the camera will be (even if you're not shooting close-ups) so you probably don't want the exaggerated makeup that actors will wear. But you probably do want some foundation, some eye-liner and some lip gloss. It's more likely that a slightly darker shade of foundation would be better. No advice on how much to use except to try it out on a willing volunteer.

Thinking about this some more, professional portrait photographers rarely ask their subjects (other than professional models) to wear makeup, and still produce pretty good pictures. I suspect that better control over lighting than is possible on the stage allows this.

Do amateur models need makeup under studio lights for a green-screen video shoot?

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